Transferware is a style of ceramics including pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

, dinnerware, and other delicate items. It uses transfer printing, a decorative technique which was developed in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in the mid-18th century, particularly around the Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

 region.

The process starts with an engraved copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 plate similar to those used for making paper engraving

Engraving

Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...

s. The plate is used to print the pattern on tissue paper

Tissue paper

Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....

, then the tissue paper transfers the wet ink to the ceramic surface. The ceramic is then fired in a low temperature kiln

Kiln

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...

 to fix the pattern. This can be done over or under the glaze

Ceramic glaze

Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...

, but the underprinting method is more durable. The process produces fine lines similar to the engraved prints in old books. Before transfer printing ceramics were hand painted, a laborious and costly process.

Twentieth century major English manufacturers include Crown Ducal, Enoch Wood, Royal Staffordshire, Royal Crownford, Alfred Meakin

Alfred Meakin

Alfred Meakin is a retired track and field athlete, who represented Great Britain in the men's 100 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan....

, Spode

Spode

Spode is a well-known English brand of pottery and homewares based in Stoke-on-Trent.- The overview :Spode is a Stoke-on-Trent based pottery company that was founded by Josiah Spode in 1770...

, Johnson Brothers

Johnson Brothers

Johnson Brothers, originally a British tableware manufacturer and exporter, was noted for its early introduction of "semi-porcelain" tableware. Some of its designs, "Dawn", "Old Britain Castles" and "Historic America", achieved widespread popularity and are still collected today...

, and Mason's. The most actively sought-after patterns include: Crown Ducal's "Bristol", "Calico", "Castles", "Charlotte", "English Chippendale", "English Scenery", "Friendly Village", "Historic America", "Italian", "Liberty Blue", "Old Britain Castles", "Rose Chintz", "Tonquin", "Tower" and Vista". The process was popular in other countries including Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.